


The Cards You've Been Dealt

by Gecko1717



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exile, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Sibling Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo Thinks TommyInnit is Dead, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28869207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gecko1717/pseuds/Gecko1717
Summary: Basically a fic I wrote accidentally(don't ask how-) Tommy runs away from exile, goes to Technos house, whatever you know the story. Written with some extra Dream trauma thrown in and realistic trauma responses.COMPLETED
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 81





	1. Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:mentions of child abuse

With every step he took he felt his mind drift further away. Call it the bitter cold getting to his brain, but it was getting harder and harder to even think out here. His feet began dragging into the snow, hoping that through the forest and trees that took shape around him, he'd find anything. Anything at all. An abandoned campsite, an old torch on the ground, something, to keep him alive. But part of him stopped looking. He would've just laid in the snow and let himself freeze had there not been a small voice in his head, telling him to keep going. He didn't know why it was even there. If he wanted to die so badly, if he had built that tower and jumped, only choosing to divert at the last second, why was he fighting to survive right now? He had nothing left, however his mind still told him to hang on, keep going. But his pace slowed, his feet dragged throug the snow more and more, he was losing breath, and fuck he was going to die out here. Tommy had never been forced to survive like this in the comforts of L’manburg, he'd been protected, with lights everywhere to prevent mobs, always having armor on hand, weapons, farms to take food when you needed it. And even after being exiled from the country he loved, he had Dream. And oh my God Dream. He needed Dream. He abandoned Dream. His only friend. Tommy knew he was going to die out here and it was all his fault. He fucked up again. He should’ve stayed with Dream. Sure Dream had done some shitty things, but ultimately he was there when Tommy needed it right? A tree branch brushed against the bruises on his back shoulder, he winced at the still sore marks from weeks of abu-well, he wasn't gonna call it that. Dream was his friend. Yeah Dream never meant to hurt him. _Right?_ Night was beginning to take over and he couldn't think clearly. Of course Dream cared, why would he think otherwise? Everything he’d done to him was for protection, and to keep him in exile, which was his job. And even though that was his job Dream was still nice wasn’t he? He never meant to hurt Tommy. That was ridiculous to even bring up. As he argued with himself, he almost didn't notice it standing in the clearing. _A cabin. Oh my God a cabin_ -but he was cut off by the growl of a zombie not 10 feet away. _Oh no no no I'm so close please not now-_ he couldn't run, he was too exhausted from the hours trudging through thick forestation and snow he just hoped his slow pace was still faster than the creature chasing him. He made it to the stairs, gripping onto the railing for life, trying to make it up in time, when he felt something grab his arm. He let out a small scream, burning his own throat, and tried to pull away, reaching for the doorknob, hoping to God it was unlocked. He was so weak, but if he didn't manage to salvage his arm, he'd die for sure. The zombie bit his hand and Tommy pulled with all the force he could, bringing his arm back from the creature's grasp, and sending it face first onto the stairs. He quickly turned the knob, and stepped in. 

He recognized the house immediately as Technoblades. Even through his blurry vision, eyes irritated from the cold snow storm biting at them for hours. He heard the crackling of a fire maybe 20 feet from where he was standing. The piglin was definitely not gone for long if he wanted to keep his house warm while away. He didn’t have much time. But at this point he didn't even care that it was the house of one of the most powerful people on the smp, and began rummaging through the wood chests lining the walls. These were full of mostly emergency materials like potions, extra armor, gold apples, things you may not have time to go into the basement to grab. So he ended up grabbing some boots, a sword, some ender pearls, and god apples. Just in case something were to happen and he had to leave quickly. It should keep him alive.He also found some old jerky in the back of a cabinet half rotten, that he was sure Techno wouldn't miss. Even if he took materials at least he wouldn't leave Technoblade starving. Not that he really cared for Techno in particular, but he didn’t want to take more than necessary. Everyone hated him already. Besides, he didn’t have the appetite to eat, it was just a precaution. He had to think quickly. He’d just robbed Technoblade. He couldn’t leave the house or he'd die from mobs and the cold, whichever came first, but stay here and he could be killed. So he climbed the hanging ladder to the lower level and dug. Below the basement he built himself a cold little room, with a single chest for the few things he had. And he just prayed Techno never found out.


	2. The Blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno finds Tommy oh no-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of child abuse, PTSD, panic attack, S/H

His cape dragged through the deep snow, which he hadn't planned on. The storm wasn't expected until a day later, so he'd gone out for a quick hike after lunch, collecting loot from an abandoned mineshaft he'd discovered, as well as killing animals for meat so he wouldn't starve. But hey, the storm could be worse. And he had come prepared, could barely even feel the cold except on his face. He was almost home, then he could sit by the fireplace, maybe read a book, and wait for Phil. He actually wasn't sure when Phil would be returning, but at this point it'd been 2 days, and Phil never stayed away more than 3, at least to stop in and say hello. He approached the cobblestone stairs of his cabin, and noticed a zombie standing at his door. **_Kill kill kill kill blood for the blood God_** **_kill_** \- the voices rang "yeah I know I'm not an idiot why wouldn't I kill a fucking zombie-" the voices were annoying at times. He swung his axe through its neck, decapitating and thoroughly killing it. But that's when he noticed something, there was other blood on the stairs. Human. Zombie blood was a murky black, but this was fresh and red. Someone else had been here. The zombie was waiting at the door. As if it had been expecting someone to come back out. His first thought was Phil, but Phil would've been able to kill a zombie in one simple strike, who was so weak they could be chased by a zombie of all creatures- ** _raccoon he's living here he's here he's here_** \- "raccoon? What are you talking about-" he scoffed, only a few people would ever come out here. As there were few that lived close enough to even come across his cabin by accident, and he doubted any would dare burrow in his house. The only one that came to mind was Tommy. He’d always been rebellious, to say the least, and never really cared about consequence. But Tommy was in exile, being watched by Dream, so that thought made no sense. As he entered he noticed chests had been swung open, and several items were missing, nothing that couldn't be replaced, after all he had no use for God apples and netherite in retirement, but it still pissed him off. He looked at the water on the ground, no doubt from the snow he'd tracked in, melting. It led to the basement. Technoblade unsheathed his sword and climbed down slowly, however the descent led to an empty basement. No one was here at all. At first he thought maybe the voices were flat out wrong. However looking around he noticed one of the smooth stone tiles had been replaced with cobble. The thief didn't even care to cover their tracks. He mined the block and lowered himself into the room. It was dark, not even a single torch had been lit. And in the corner he saw him, well no it couldn't be him. That couldn't be Tommy. A boy was curled up in the corner, clutching some papers in his hand, his skin was pale, almost everywhere his shirt didn't cover he could see small cuts and bruises, and then there it was, the zombie bite mark on his left hand. He looked bad. "Tommy?" he said loudly, still angry at him for stealing his items. He jerked awake and looked to see where the voice came from "D-dream? Oh my God Dream please I'm so sorry just please help me Dream. Dream I need help. I won't do it again please-you can have my pictures even-just take it all, burn everything, just please-" he scrambled to grab more papers from his chest. Obviously it was too dark for the kid to tell who it really was at the entrance of the makeshift hideaway. Techno stepped forward, confused. _Tommy? Begging? Why was he offering me his pictures?_ As he took another step Tommy flinched, one of his arms covering his face "I'm so sorry". Techno made the decision to set his sword on the ground "Tommy. Tommy it's Techno." the kid looked up, trying to recognize his older brother in the dark. "oh my God. Techno I-" "Tommy how long have you been here?" he gulped, and Techno wasn't sure if Tommy had been more terrified when he thought it was Dream standing there. "I just got here I promise I haven’t been- I just needed to find somewhere to stay I swear I was gonna leave-you can have all your stuff and-and you can have my helmet, and my pictures, anything you want, I know you’re probably going to kill me anyways-" Techno was shocked. _He thought I was going to kill him._ "why would I kill you? You’re 16, and on your last life" he knelt on the ground trying to get a better look at Tommy's injuries, as Tommy tried backing himself further into the corner. "I-I stole from you, I buried a hole in your house I-I mean I understand I deserve it Techno-" the combination of anxiety and the aftermath of being caught it in a storm had clearly gotten to his voice"we need to get you upstairs kid. You look terrible, if you were gonna freeze out there you're gonna freeze down here too" his eyes widened "what?" "I said you need to get upstairs. You probably have pneumonia or at least the flu" he reached a hand out to Tommy "can you do that? Can you climb up?" Tommy looked unsure, and slowly decided to grab Technos hand, still thinking this was some sort of ploy. He was gonna get him upstairs and then throw him out the door, or worse, kill him. Techno pulled him up, which caused Tommy to nearly fall into Techno, who then caught his arm to steady him. "can you even climb a ladder Tommy?" he slightly chuckled, but inside he kept thinking about how horrible he looked. "yeah I-I'm fine Techno" Tommy scoffed, trying to keep some of his pride intact. Techno still held on to him until they reached the ladder, knowing Tommy was not fine. But he wasn't gonna baby him, if Tommy said he could climb the ladder then he could. Tommy let go of Techno and reached his hands to the 5th rung, and his feet onto the first step. As he moved to the next he already was using so much of his strength just to keep from letting go. "fuck" he whispered under his breath. But it was a short ladder, he just had to get to the basement at least. And he thought he could get there if anything. He grabbed the rough stone edges and pulled himself onto the cool floor, crawling on his scraped knees, getting out of the way. Techno shook his head below, and climbed up after him. "Look Tommy you're already exhausted just let me carry you up the next ladder" he said as his face surfaced above the stone floor. _Uh oh_ "Tommy?" he pulled himself onto the stone, where Tommy was hunched over, clutching his shirt "I-I'm gonna pass out Techno I'm so-" he tried to take a deep breath "My h-head" he whined. Techno was at his side "okay okay look let's uh-" _what do I do? I need Phil, I can't do this._ "can I carry you?" he asked quietly, and Tommy only responded with the slightest nod. Just as he reached forward he heard the door open, as if on cue _oh thank the gods_ "Phil!" Techno yelled out "basement, now!" he heard the man's gold boots hit the floor above "what's going on Techno?" Phil responded, his voice laced with worry, no doubt seeing the blood outside and the things tossed about. "just get down here" he emphasized, not knowing how to deal with the child in front of him "...Phil?" Tommy managed to make out between shaky breaths "yes, yes Phil's here Tommy, it'll be fine, okay? Phil's home" Phil let go of the ladder, hitting the ground with a thud, and turned. He practically fell to Tommy's side "oh my God oh my God Techno what's he-" "he said he's gonna pass out, Phil I don't know what to do. I found him below the basement. He's definitely sick" Barely a second passed before Tommy collapsed into Phil's arms.Despite his attempts to remain conscious, he'd been awake and moving for way too long, and his body had enough. "okay we need to get him upstairs right away holy shit- how long was he down there?" Phil lifted Tommy and stood, feeling how much lighter he was, and making his way to the ladder. "not very long by the looks of it, the blood outside is fresh, so is the bite on his hand from the zombie I had to kill. My chests were all open when I got home" Techno took a deep breath as he followed behind Phil "the better question is how long was he out in the storm?" Now that was worrying. People die from things like pneumonia all the time, and the only piece of armor Tommy had on was a leather helmet holding together by the thread, and he had offered it to Techno. Why would he do that? Other than that he was wearing a thin long sleeve shirt, but it was full of holes, too big, and didn't even look like his own. Maybe Dream had given to him? He was even wearing shorts. Who wore shorts in the cold? Tommy hadn't planned whatever this was-he was desperate. So desperate to go in the cold in this condition. What had driven him to this last resort? Techno didn't like thinking about it. It hurt to see a Tommy in this state, this wasn't him. This was not his brother. _Your brother_. He forgot that sometimes. They were brothers. And something did this to him. He wanted to find out what. **_Blood for the blood God_**.

Techno and Phil took turns sleeping that night while the other looked after Tommy. Phil thought he'd be fine, just needed some extra attention, but Techno began to wonder whether he was just saying that to put him at ease. This had got to be the worst state Techno had ever seen Tommy in. Scrapes and bruises everywhere, his skin white and cold to the touch, but his head burning up. Technos mind wandered to several scenarios as to where all the injuries had even come from. Lots of the scrapes looked to be from traversing the woods and falling on sharp stones. But the bruises-you don't get that many bruises from accidents. He thought of the best case scenario, that Tommy had come across lots of mobs in the woods. But you don't exactly get in fist fights with monsters, except maybe the occasional spider who would tackle you, no you get bitten, shot, stabbed. Which meant the worst, and most likely scenario, was someone he knew had hurt Tommy. And the only person he knew of that cared to visit Tommy more than once or twice was Dream. Dream was always there. And surely no one who had visited would hurt him. Ranboo, Ghostbur, they just wouldn't do this. He knew that. And with the way Tommy reacted earlier “ _D-dream? Oh my God Dream please I'm so sorry just please help me Dream. Dream I need help. I won't do it again please-you can have my pictures even-just take it all, burn everything, just please-”_ he was begging. Begging for help. As if he wouldn't have gotten it otherwise. And apologizing? Tommy never apologized, unless it was sarcastic maybe. **_Dream - kill kill its all his fault- blood for the blood God._ ** He shook the thought away. There were more pressing matters than who did it. He just hoped Tommy wasn’t too sick. He didn’t want the death of a child on his hands. He'd wrapped his cape around Tommy instead of a blanket, as he didn't have many extras, and the cape was heavier and warmer than the thin back ups he had in the closet. He just hoped what he and Phil did was enough. Though honestly Phil took care of whatever they could while the kid was unconscious. Sure Techno knew how to patch broken bones and stab wounds, but Tommy was sick, and that was worse than any outside injury he had. So Phil had done what he could for someone knocked out cold, while Techno paced the room, too afraid to get in the way. Why was he so worried? Tommy hated him, and he hated Tommy. He shouldn't be worried about him. But they were still family. And somehow in the chaos Techno forgot about all the shit that had happened, tearing Tommy's relationship with everyone apart. Even Wilbur, when he was alive. Whatever Tommy and Wilbur had towards the end of his life was, well, fucked up. Wilbur had gone insane. Yet Tommy tried to stay by his side as long as he possibly could. It was sad, really. Techno sat in thought for a while. His chair was close to the fireplace, maybe 7 feet from where Tommy lay on an old cot from the basement. Phil refused to go upstairs to his bed, and was instead asleep on the leather couch, which couldn’t be too comfortable, to be even closer to Tommy than Techno. He wanted to be there just in case. Techno was interrupted by a small noise. “Dream..” Tommy whispered in his sleep, slightly stirring. “please.. Dream I said I was sorry…” he said slightly louder. _What the fuck happened with Dream?_ Techno thought, eyes glued on his brother. He noticed Phil move a bit from the corner of his eye, but couldn't be bothered to even look over. Tommy must've said sorry 5 times before Philza was jolted awake by a scream. Tommy sat up quickly, that would no doubt make him dizzy later. His arms crossed and hands gripped his upper arms tightly, you could practically see the nails digging in even through his new, clean, shirt. His breathing was fast, hyperventilating, and his eyes quickly blurred with tears, and Phil was there, kneeling beside him, immediately. He reached for Tommy's hands “hey hey you're gonna hurt yourself-” he said gently, trying to stay calm. Tommy flinched and looked at his dad. He didn't want to let go. That was another worrying thing. That tight grip around his arms. When Phil had replaced his old, messed up, clothes he noticed what he believed to be the reason Tommy had switched from his usual red t shirt. All up his arms were messy, deep scratches, but some of them were too deep and thin to be just from his nails, no, they had to be cuts. And his arms had practically gone red from the combination. The reasoning at the time was unclear, but they may have just found one in this moment. After a few seconds Tommy took a deep breath and loosened his grip, allowing Phil to move his hands away. Techno moved to the couch Phil abandoned so he could be closer to the situation, but didn't know how to even help. “when did I-how long have I been here?” Tommy asked, looking around. “just the night. Techno found you below the basement, remember? You passed out downstairs” Phil answered, as Tommy shook his head and shut his eyes, trying to recall anything from the night before. He remembered one thing, the pain on his left hand. He looked down and noticed it'd been bandaged, and some kind of potion or substance was slightly leaking through the gauze. His mouth tasted metallic and disgusting, the common aftertaste for natural medicines of the sort. “Tommy” Techno spoke up, causing him and Phil to turn “how long were you out in the storm?” he asked, knowing Phil had been trying to figure that out the past few hours. “er… It's hard to say. I ran away around noon maybe? Didn’t reach the snow till later-'' It could be worse. Tommy arrived at nightfall, which here was around 6. A few hours is nothing compared to spending the night somewhere like that. “Tommy why don’t you just lay back down okay you’re gonna get worse-” Philza coerced. He suddenly moved his hand to his head, this is when the dizziness hit him. “Worse?” he asked, clearly in pain “Tommy, you at the very least are running a fever at most you could have pneumonia. Lay down for just a moment, okay? I’m gonna go get you some food” Techno said as he stood. Maybe he could at least be helpful in this way. He had some soup in the freezer, which would only take 5, maybe 10 at most minutes to heat on the stove, the flames flickered to life and the broth began melting to the heat. He grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it with water from the sink, setting it on the table beside Tommys makeshift bed. Phil asked a couple questions, just to keep Tommy awake and conscious until he could eat something, and maybe to give Phil a bit more insight of just how bad he was. “How are you feeling?” “How much have you eaten the past few days?” “Are you thirsty?” among others. Techno quietly stirred the soup until it was just warm enough. It was basically just leftover broth and carrot pieces, but it would suffice, especially with Tommys condition. Carefully pouring it into a bowl, he handed it to Philza in the next room. “Okay Tommy can you sit back up? You gotta eat something” he groaned “I’m not hungry” Phil sighed “you just told me all you’ve eaten the past 3 days is a loaf of bread. 3 days ago” “that’s plenty. I don’t see the issue” he moved his arm over his eyes, it seemed so much brighter in this room than it really was. “Tommy. Eat'' Phil said with more conviction. He had to eat something, even a spoonful was better than nothing. He was clearly malnourished. Tommy felt stuck. He genuinely hadn’t felt hungry in weeks. He didn’t respond. “Tommy!” Phil said, maybe a little too loud, not out of anger, but worry. To Tommy however, it felt all the same. He sat up quickly, eyes dull. “...fine” he reached for the bowl, holding it in his lap, but not a few sips in it threw him into a coughing fit. Phil placed the bowl back on his table as Tommy reached for the water instead. How could he barely keep down what was borderline considered food? Borderline. He took just a couple sips before setting it down again. Tommy messed with the sleeves of his shirt, pulling them over his palms and squeezing tightly. He felt so horrible. He put his face into his hands before pulling one of his hands up through his hair, feeling how rough and greasy it was from weeks of improper care. “What now?” he sighed, feeling defeated. Just looking for any sort of direction. Phil stopped for a second “do you wanna try eating any more? Maybe you should just go back to bed Tommy” he asked cautiously. He shook his head, still fidgeting his hands and sleeves. _Tommy! Tommy! Tommy!_ He was never a fan of yelling. He heard it over and over in his head. Dream and Phils voices blurring together in the chaos that was his mind. You could hear his breathing quicken. He shut his eyes tightly and leaned over slightly, hands covering his ears, trying to shut it out. Then all it was was Dream. Just Dream. In his mind. And he couldn’t get him out. “Tommy?” Phil said, seeing him begin to zone out from reality. Techno had quietly sat back down a few feet away. Tommy had some issues with ADHD that explained the fidgeting and zoning out, but this was not just an ADHD kind of reaction to a situation. Tommy shut everything out around him, thinking that’d shut the voice of his trauma out as well. _Stop thinking about it stop thinking about it it's not a big deal just stop you're such a-_ it didn’t stop. His panic only grew until he felt himself losing control. His hands reached to his arms as they did before, holding onto himself tightly “Please make it stop” he whispered to himself, eyes beginning to water again, as more and more events began circulating his mind. He didn’t want to remember any of these things. _“Tommy you need to learn your lesson” “there's a reason no one visits you” “Tubbo burned it” “you're lucky I bother looking out for you. I should’ve left you for dead”_ “make it stop-” _“You’ve pissed me off for the last time Tommy” “This is for your own good” “Tommy!”_ he could feel the soreness of his bruises again as if they were fresh. _“I’m your friend Tommy”_ Then he felt hands on his shoulders, and he tried to focus back in. “Tommy what's going on? '' Techno said, trying to bring him back to reality. On the outside he merely seemed zoned out and overwhelmed. “Tommy are you listening?” he asked, unsure just how out of it he was. He felt Dreams' voice slowly fade into Technos, until it disappeared. Tommy opened his eyes, trying to make sense of his flooded mind. “Hey” Techno said, as Tommy came back in touch with his surroundings. But he was still having trouble keeping the events out of his mind. “Tommy what was that-'' he shook his head, after all he barely knew. “I can’t stop thinking about it” he said, not wanting to go into detail. “I want it to stop” Techno and Phil shared a glance, no doubt wondering the same thing. But the wound was too new for it to stop. And he just wanted it to be over already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter, was gonna break it up but I got lazy so sorry about that lol


	3. Pity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Tommy angst because Im like that dw it gets less severe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of child abuse, Ptsd, panic attacks, S/H

The next day Tommy only woke up once for more than 10 minutes, spending most of the day too tired and in pain to wanna get up or eat. However, today he actually talked. Like had a normal conversation with Phil that wasn’t about his sickness. The moment was quickly spoiled however, when his fever rose sharply, alarming Phil to no end. “Tommy please I know this sucks but just lay down for a few minutes okay?” “Are you kidding?” “Tommy” Techno interrupted “you’re sick. I know you were feeling better, but you gotta lay down. I’m not gonna have you pass out for 9 hours again” Tommy rolled his eyes, but gave in and laid down. Pulling the cape over him as Phil ran a washcloth under cold water in the sink. “When was the last time he had medicine Phil? Can he have more?” “no it’s only been about 5 hours. He woke up at like 5am remember? We gotta wait” Phil responded from the other room. “Why are you guys talking about me like I’m a baby?! You can ask me, I’m literally right here. I’m not unconscious anymore” Techno laughed “you're right I suppose” Tommy rolled his eyes again and Techno smiled. This was more like him. But still, he was different. And as much as his eyes tried to help it they drifted to his sleeves, thinking about the horror when Phil saw the amount of scars plaguing his arms. After that, Techno had removed every blade or knife in all rooms but the kitchen. He was probably overreacting, but wanted to be careful. The main issue with his arms however was not about access to blades, as he was too sick to probably go looking for that vice, but the problem was when he got nervous. Whenever he had a panic attack, or even got stressed at all, they found his hands immediately reached to his arms. Techno desperately wanted to avoid that conversation with Tommy, but it seemed to be a habit. Luckily, the sleeves of his shirt prevented him from doing much damage, he could merely hold tightly, but it was not a good coping mechanism to have. Techno was convinced the only reason he hadn’t attempted to scratch through despite the sleeves was because he was constantly being watched by Techno and Phil. After maybe 30 minutes, Tommy ended up falling back asleep. Not for very long though, maybe an hour, just long enough to curb his overall exhaustion. This time he didn't wake with a jolt, or from a nightmare, but because he was actually rested. Which was a pleasant surprise for the entire household. He sat up and drank the water by his bed, still feeling too nauseous to eat. An untouched slice of bread still sat on the plate beside him from that morning when he’d tried to eat real food. Techno and Phil were in the other room talking, and Tommy could barely make out their conversation. “Phil what’re we gonna do?” Techno questioned. “You gotta be more specific” he responded “ we have a sick kid in our care, he clearly has some kind of ptsd, on top of oh I don't know, at the very least a fever, bruises, and did you even see his arms? We are not prepared for this sort of thing. Do we even know how to-” “look Techno I know this is overwhelming for you, but at the very least we can be here for him. I know I’m not a professional but he’s my son” “what if we fuck it up? Make it even worse? Leave him more traumatized than when we found him? Ever think about that?” there was a short silence “Techno unless you plan on killing the kid I don’t think we could possibly do anything worse-he’s clearly seen some shit” Techno gave a slight chuckle of- well what even was he feeling? “I know. You’re right. This is just weird Phil. I mean I haven’t seen him in years, hated his guts, but at least he was him. Even if he annoyed me to no end and I didn’t even wanna speak to the kid, I’d still rather that, than he show up at my house in whatever state he was when I found him” Phil nodded “I understand Techno believe me. I mean I keep wondering if maybe” he paused to collect his thoughts “maybe if I’d reconnected earlier, instead of letting it fall apart, he would’ve been spending his whatever ‘exile’” (he hated calling it that, it was horrible to think about the fact they banned a kid from his own home) “with me instead of that asshole. Saved him from all of it” “Phil you can’t think like that” Techno responded quickly “cause it already happened” Tommy hears bits and pieces of it through the wall, unsure how he was meant to respond to what he could put together.  _ They just pity you.  _ He tried to shake the thought.  _ No they just care, they’re my family.  _ He told himself, trying to believe it.  _ They don’t know how to handle you. You're a handful. A leech.  _ He was literally arguing with himself. Again. Why couldn’t his mind make a decision?  _ They care about me. They care about me.  _ His hands grabbed at his forearms again.  _ Calm down. You’re fine.  _ He felt his nails dig into his arms, but the sleeves kept the pain minimal.  _ God you’re so dramatic. You overanalyze everything. If Dream were here he’d flip out.  _ He closed his eyes. Every one of his thoughts could be traced back to Dream. He hated it, he hated how Dream and the things he did consumed his thoughts, and how the marks were so visible. He couldn’t even look in the mirror. He could see the scar on his jaw where he’d been pushed into the stone path. The bruises where he’d been hit, or shoved into the wall. Dream fucked every part of him up.  _ You're overanalyzing again. He was your friend.  _ He wanted to stop thinking about it so badly. He could hear the sounds of Techno and Phil talking still, but he began to unfocus from reality.  _ So let it draw blood, it doesn’t matter.  _ He thought as the pain on his arms increased, he let his nails drag across his skin, but it didn’t feel like enough through the thin cloth barrier. It didn’t mark in the way his mind wanted him to. He didn’t even notice that Techno and Phil began to walk back into the room. His mind was preoccupied. “Woah woah woah Tommy hey-” Techno said as Phil rushed to him. He immediately grabbed his hands and pulled them away, holding them in his hands “Tommy it’s okay” he opened his eyes and looked down, not even wanting to look at either of them, pulling his hands back “Tommy you gotta tell us what’s going on we can’t help you if we don’t know why-” Tommy tried to collect his scattered thoughts “I-”  _ he never meant to hurt you. You can’t blame everything on him.  _ But he fought it. He knew deep down that was wrong. He knew it. He just didn’t wanna say it. But he had that revelation earlier and it led to him running away and well, all of this. He didn’t like thinking about it. He opened his mouth as if to say something but didn’t even know where to start. “He was a fucking dick” he breathed out. He didn't know what else to say. He didn’t need their pity. He didn’t want it. He got himself into that exile, it was all his fault anyways. That's what Dream had told him over and over until finally Tommy let himself believe it. It had to be his fault. Every time Dream hurt him it had to be by something Tommy had done wrong right? “Tommy can you tell us anything? No one knows what you went through except you” Phil said, trying to get something out of him. But Tommy was desperate to preserve what little pride had been taken from him when he showed up frozen and sick. When he had breakdowns in front of family he hadn’t seen in years. This wasn’t like him. And he hated every second of it. He decided he could tell the less physical bits of it, just so maybe they’d stop asking. “He blew all of my stuff up. All of it. At the end of every day” he paused, maybe just a little bit more. “He just...He was the only one there. I trusted him” okay that was enough, he’d broken down enough in front of them already. He rubbed his hands with a bit more aggression, what is he supposed to say now? That the rest is too much for him to even say? “Thats it” he said, quickly grabbing his water and finishing it off. “Can I have more meds now?” he tried changing the topic “sure. Yeah lemme go grab it” Phil said as he got up from the ground, walking to the kitchen. “Tommy you don’t have to tell Phil but can you just answer me one question?” Techno asked as soon as he left the room. Tommy shrugged “are the bruises from Dream?” he froze, but decided a simple nod would suffice. He didn’t wanna lie, but he didn’t wanna talk about it either. Techno nodded back.  **_Dream. Kill Dream. Blood for the blood God._ **


	4. Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil teaches Tommy cards and there's a surprise visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of child abuse, ptsd, panic attacks, S/H

The next few days weren't so bad. Though his fever stayed it wasn't so debilitating, and he ate actual food at Phil's request. Every night Techno paced, planning, but then talking himself out of it. _I bet I could take him down. Even 1 life off._ But he buried the thought away. After all, this wasn't a random citizen like Quackity, it was Dream. Owner of the smp. Never been killed. Focus on Tommy first, then maybe, _maybe_ , think about Dream. “Phil I'm boreddd” Tommy whined, sitting with his back against the wall, feet hanging of the cot horizontally. “Tommy there's almost nothing you could even do, you're still sick you can't just go outside. It's not like we have many activities here. Unless you wanna read” “ugh. Reading. Who enjoys that?” Phil laughed. “do you even own a deck of cards?” Tommy said, in a last hope for entertainment “actually we do” Techno piped up from the book he was reading across the room “I think it's in the table drawer Phil” he didn't even look up from whatever story he was getting into. Phil reached in the drawer and pulled out a single deck of cards, the edges yellowing with age, and some of the symbols beginning to fade, but cards nonetheless. “thank God” Tommy said “let's play poker. I'll bet you 1000 bucks” even Techno let out a soft laugh from across the room “I doubt you even know how to play poker” Phil shook his head with a smile “I totally do. What it's go fish but with betting?” Techno looked up with disbelief“I know you didn't just call poker go fish with betting” a small smile of entertainment escaping him “what? It's true isn’t it? You match your cards to those in the middle and if you get the best one you win. That's basically go fish” “Tommy did you ever even play go fish?” Phil asked “that's besides the point” Phil shuffled the cards “how about we play Rummy. Rules are simple, you get 7 cards, you draw one, and discard one, every turn. You can lay down 3-4 of a kind, or at least 3 in a row. You want aces and face cards, they're worth more. But if they're left in your hand when someone goes out, they get subtracted from your points” Tommy pretended like he understood it all, but figured he'd pick it up as they go. They played a couple rounds and Tommy was finally able to play without asking questions every 5 seconds. And it really did feel like home. Techno may not have been playing with them but he made the occasional commentary. “Hey-hey Techno!” Tommy said in the middle of his game with Philza at the table “tell me what cards he has” “that's cheating Tommy” Phil shook his head as he adjusted the cards in his hand. Techno was on the chair behind where Phil sat on the ground, and Tommy leaned over the table from his makeshift bed. Techno smiled and held up his hand, showing 2 fingers, and mouthed _aces._ Tommy grinned “Techno don’t you dare” Phil turned around “dare what?” Techno smiled innocently, placing his hand back on his book. “What do you not trust us?” Tommy said in a fake whiny voice “how sad” Techno added. Phil scoffed “okay fine, but if I lose ‘cause of you Techno I’m leaving” Tommy smiled and laid down his run, Ace, 2, and 3, of hearts. Phil shook his head “fuck you, you knew I needed that” “damn Phil- talking to your son like that? Fuck you too” Tommy responded “cheater” “you have no proof” they argued a bit, but all in good fun. Phil had a tendency to get competitive “Can we play something else now I’m bored of this too” Tommy said, setting his cards down “I literally just taught you how to play this, we have played 4 rounds” “I know I know but it gets old quick. How about poker, like I said earlier” Techno looked up “I’d play some poker” “fine but you’re teaching him” Phil responded. Techno moved over to the table and began to shuffle the cards between his hands. His palms were almost always bandaged now from overuse the past few years, which made the job a little harder, but he could work around it. All the sudden Technos pig ears twitched, hearing the crunching of snow outside “someones here” “what?” Phil said, out of confusion and fear. Almost no one knew where they lived. _Dream_ . “Phil get Tommy back below the basement, I’ll take care of the cot, pretend you were cleaning or something. Quickly!” Tommy climbed down the ladder first, almost falling with how quickly he was moving, he dropped down in his old makeshift hideaway, which Phil covered with a chest. And Tommy backed himself into the same corner as the first day, breath shaking. _He’s gonna fucking kill you. And Techno, and Phil, he's gonna hurt all of them. Because of you._

“Hey Techno” Dream said as Techno opened the door. “Hey, what’s with the sudden visit?” Dream stepped in, uninvited, just as Phil climbed back from the basement. “What’re you up to Phil?” he questioned, tone empty. “The basement needed some reorganization. We’d just collected more materials. Didn’t have enough room” Phil said with confidence. “Really?” Dream inquired, stepping further into the house. “Yes, now if you don’t mind, what are you doing here? Seems a little rude coming in uninvited” Techno said, already annoyed at the guy. **_Kill kill kill kill kill-_ ** “well Tommys missing” Techno scoffed,“what do you mean missing Dream he’s in exile. How do you run away from exile?” Dream rolled his eyes “ I don’t know Techno but he ran away from Logsteadshire, and I have to keep an eye on him. Have you seen him?” “Nope. Hell, I can barely remember the last friendly conversation I had with the kid” he chuckled “yeah he’s like that. Mind if I take a look around?” Dream said, void of emotion, the mask helped put that across. _Yes, yes I do mind_ “not at all”

Tommy could hear his own breathing and it terrified him. He tried to quiet himself, let his hands wrap around his arms. He bit his lip hard, and felt the pain increase. _He’s gonna find you. You should’ve killed yourself the day you built that tower. Shouldn’t have landed in the water. Look what you’ve done._ He shook his head _not my fault it's not my fault._ Trying to calm himself. _None of this is my fault. It’s Dreams. He was never your friend. This isn’t your fault._ He could hear the sound of feet hitting the ground above him, and his grip tightened. The voices were muffled, but 2 figures were walking around the room, no doubt one of them Dream. He couldn’t take it, he rolled up his sleeves so he could feel it more, it wasn’t enough. The panic was overwhelming, and he couldn’t make a sound. He had to do something. If Dream even heard the smallest noise from down here well- he could imagine the picaxe tearing through the stone above. So he let himself draw blood this time, which was way too easy for him without the long sleeves in the way. _You’ll be fine_ . He told himself over and over, but doubted himself the more he repeated it. He closed his eyes and leaned against the cold wall, waiting for the sound of footsteps to disappear. Lucky for him, a couple minutes later, the footsteps left the basement, and he let himself breath a little easier. He stayed shaking in the cold of the hideout for another 5 minutes maybe, before hearing the chest broken and stone block being mined. His breath hitched _please don’t be Dream please please_ he refused to open his eyes, hands still on his arms, knees close to his chest. “He’s gone Tommy, it’s okay” Technos voice rang as he stepped closer. Tommy nodded and opened his eyes, still half expecting the green hunter in front of him with that supid ceramic mask. Techno cautiously reached his hands out to Tommy, who let go of the hold on he had had on his arms, as if his life depended on it. He slid his hands into Technos bandaged palms, feeling the roughness. Tommy's own bandage on his left hand was removed yesterday. Zombie bites heal quickly, and now it was wrapped with merely a thin cloth for protection. He was pulled to his feet, and he slowly moved back up the ladder. _It’s a trap. Dream’s still here._ He shook the thought away. _Techno wouldn’t do that._ After reaching the basement his hands grasped the next ladder, he could finally feel the warmth again. Pulling himself onto the main floor, he took a deep breath of relief, it was only Phil up here. Techno came up behind him and for a moment no one talked, all just happy it was over with. “You okay kid?” Techno asked, as Tommy made his way to the empty chair. This is when he remembered his sleeves, and quickly pulled them back down over his wrists, nodding. Not as if that did much, Techno and Phil already saw, but he did it anyways. He ran his hand through his hair and leaned into the chair. “What’d he say?” Tommy asked, part of him not wanting to know. Techno looked at Phil “ er.. Just wanted to know if we’d seen ya. Then he looked around the place” which to be fair, was true, but the last part of their conversation was left out. _“You can't lie to me Techno. But I suppose for now, I’ll leave you alone”_


	5. Phil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy can't sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of ptsd, S/H

Tommy didn’t sleep that night. No matter how hard he tried. He was still on edge, and felt like Dream was gonna come back. His head hurt more than usual, his arms still sore, and somehow between the sickness he never felt how the cot pressed on his bruised back. It was not comfortable at all. Everything hurt. He just wanted to sleep so he couldn’t feel it, and couldn’t think about Dream, but all his efforts were in vain. It was Phils turn to be awake for a few hours, so he was reading a book by the soft light of the lamp and fireplace, while Techno slept upstairs. “Phil” Tommy said quietly, arm over his eyes. “Yeah?” his father answered, glancing up from his page for a moment “what time is it?” he took a look at his watch “looks like it’s about 4am” “fuck” was all he responded with. “Tommy have you even slept yet?” he said, taking his eyes off of the book he’d been reading the past hour. “No. I’m trying though” Phil shook his head “you’re gonna sleep through the day tomorrow if you don’t get some rest soon” “well looks like I’ll be sleeping through the day then because there is no way I’m getting sleep tonight” Phil sighed “Tommy you need a normal sleep schedule” “look I can’t sleep. I tried, I’ve been trying but I can’t” Tommy said, his exhaustion seeping into his voice “why? How can you not be tired? You’ve been up almost, what,19 hours now?” Tommy sighed “I don’t know, do you have painkillers? Then maybe I wouldn’t be focusing on that so fucking much-” Phil shook his head “sorry, we don’t often have that kind of stuff. And when we do it’s for more severe things. It’d be borderline anesthesia” Tommy groaned and moved in his bed “you have nothing?” Phil closed his book and set it down, instead reaching for the glass of water he’d filled earlier, taking a sip. “Sorry kid” Tommy grabbed his pillow from under him and pushed it on his face. He was sick of being sick. He didn’t want a fever, he didn’t want the chills, the coughing. He didn’t want the flashbacks. He just wanted it all to be over. And fuck he has got to stop moving his arms. He hadn’t looked at it since he pulled his sleeves back but he felt the scratches reach up from where he’d rolled his sleeve to the top of his arms, and then down across his entire forearm. Probably the worst damage he'd done since getting here. Every time he moved he felt the scrapes, but he had to move his arms for virtually everything. And it even stung when still. He shifted the pillow back under his head as somehow, pushing your face into a fabric stuffed with wool, did not alleviate a headache. He rubbed his arms, thinking maybe his cold hands would help, but he was probably only irritating it by moving the sleeves. “Tommy you're gonna make it worse” Phil said, noticing what he was doing “You're gonna have to just sit still and try not to focus on it” “it hurts” Tommy winced as his hands moved over his joint, where the scrapes were probably worst due to the constant movement. “I know Tommy” Phil hated seeing him like this. He got up for a moment and made his way to the kitchen, gold boots echoing his footsteps around the room. He reached the cupboard with ease, pulling out a small cup, then reached into the freezer. They didn’t have much ice, the freezer was mostly meat, but it’d be enough. He handed the cup to Tommy “why are you giving me ice? What are we somehow out of water?” he questioned sarcastically, sitting up. “put it on your arms, it’ll kinda numb the pain for a bit” it was a temporary relief, sure, but Tommy took what he could get. Phil picked his book back up and tried not to think about it. There was really nothing he could do at this point, the damage had been done. Yet he still felt guilty for some reason. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but he felt as if he’d failed Tommy. He let their relationship fall apart. And now look at what happened. Phil shook his head slightly and tried to re-immerse himself in the story across the paper before him. “Phil what’s wrong” Tommy said, his sleeves rolled up from where he was applying ice “what?” “well just-you’re drifting, I can tell” Phil couldn’t remember the last time Tommy asked anything about his well being. “I’m fine Tommy” he responded trying to focus on printed words instead of thoughts. “You know it’s-” Tommy squeezed his hands together “it’s not your fault” he looked up “what?” “I can tell you’re thinking it, and I heard some bits of what you said to Techno the other day, and you seem to be-” Tommy glanced at Phil for a moment “...it’s not your fault, is all” Phil was shocked. He didn’t know how to respond, I mean he had to say something, but this was new. “I-uh-thank you Tommy” “no problem” he responded softly, putting the last ice cube on his left arm before it melted away. Tommy had definitely changed. And Phil looked at his son with a kind of sadness. It’d been years since Tommy last called Phil his dad. Since they broke apart it felt unnatural. He’d simply called him Phil. The weird thing is that he felt himself wanting to again. For the first time since he stopped. He kept himself from doing it, but he almost wanted to be his son again. He still referred to himself as Phil's son sometimes, but it was another thing calling Phil his dad. It felt like a different sense. The new feeling confused the hell out of him. Meanwhile Phil kept thinking about how Tommy said it wasn’t his fault. And for once in his life, Tommy may be right.


	6. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, some Tommy thoughts, he finally falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of ptsd, S/H

“This feels unnecessary” Tommy rolled his eyes “ I mean how am I even meant to move like this?” Phil sighed “it’s not even gauze Tommy, it's meant to be put over gauze to keep it from unraveling, or to put pressure on healing bones and muscle. I’m not even using it for its intended purpose. The way I’m wrapping it you’ll be able to move fine” after last night, well I suppose early morning, Phil decided to wrap Tommys forearms and upper arms with the material. Not only because clearly the scrapes were more severe than before, but to keep him from doing it again, were he to have another panic attack. Unfortunately for Tommy he’d not only covered his forearms with the markings but also his biceps, and now his entire arms were wrapped in the material. “It’s constricting” he complained. “Tommy we’re just looking out for you. Stop whining” Techno said from the other room, where he’d begun cooking a meal. “Fuck you Techno” he winced as the bandage was brought over the most harmed portion of his arm. They’d put some gel made from old healing potions over his scars beforehand, but it made it sting more as it was wrapped. “Fuck you too” Techno called over “will you two cut it out my god-” Phil rolled his eyes “almost done Tommy” he had already wrapped his right arm, and was just about done with the left. He cut the excess with a quick snip and Tommy took his arm back from Phils hands, moving it around. “See, you can move just fine. Not a big deal, kid” Tommy traced the material with his fingers, feeling the texture of it. “Thanks I guess, for turning me into a walking mummy. I’m lucky I can’t leave the house. Imagine if I had to go out looking like this'' Phil chuckled “here take this shirt, it should be big enough to go over the wrap. Then you don’t have to worry about the oh so many girls out here seeing you like this'' he said the last bit with sarcasm. Tommy put the shirt on over his head, and it was definitely too big, one of Phil's old ones. It was a deep muddy green, the long sleeves overreached his hands, but despite it’s clear age, the shirt was surprisingly comfortable. “Thanks” Phil nodded and got up off the bed, wanting to see how the food was going. Techno was cooking some beef from the freezer, wanting to use it up before it went bad, diced with potatoes, and cooking a couple eggs from the farm in the same pan. You learn how to combine ingredients in every way possible living out here so you don’t get bored. Today they were having hash, simple, but still good. It was probably about 11:30am, so it was just in time for an early lunch. But for Tommy, who had a tendency to sleep in, it’d be breakfast. He was on a completely different schedule than Techno, who still woke at 6am to tend to his property. Tommy was feeling better already, days had passed since he first arrived. But his fever kept a hold on him. He had gotten better at ignoring it, but when he wasn’t being distracted with conversation he felt like shoving his face into a pillow and screaming. Which he had done. Several times. But at least he was beginning to act more normal. After Phil left he left himself lay back down, starting to feel the effects of not sleeping the night before. Eventually, no matter how badly it hurt, his body would get too exhausted to care, and fall asleep anyways. No matter how much Tommy thought about it. He pulled his blanket up over his head, but if he didn’t think about the pain he’d think about Dream. And he wasn’t sure which was worse. _You know why do you even do that?_ He thought, feeling the tightness around his arms. _You didn’t do that before- well of course not before because before you weren’t exiled with Dream but you never-_ why was he contemplating this now? _You’ve got everyone worried about you now. You let one guy control you and hurt you and you fall apart._ He sighed _this was never supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a one time thing. Just to calm myself down._ Now he felt the soreness of his arms and was filled with regret. Now every time he lost control he had to do it, it was instinct. He couldn’t help it. And he hated that. He wished he could undo it. “Tommy food’s ready” Phil said from the doorway “not hungry” he mumbled from under the covers. “Fine, but you’ll have to eat later then” Tommy had been eating more but still barely had the stomach for anything, and the thought of trying to eat food right now made him feel more sick. He just wanted to sleep. He could barely keep his eyes open. _This is your fault you know. If you hadn’t been doing that maybe you would be in less pain._ Which he knew was true. _Your fault, your fault, your fault_ . It rang. _By telling yourself that you’re gonna wanna do it again what's the point here? Just stay in this vicious cycle? Drown in pity over what you did, until the feeling makes you wanna do it again?_ That was true. Maybe he’d been a little harsh on himself. But it was a tough habit to break. _I don’t wanna do it again. I’m so done with it all._ After about an hour he finally managed to fall asleep.


	7. Poker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Tubbo bits, Techno, Phil, and Tommy finally play some poker. May be the last chapter idk this feels like a good ending but it only took me a day to write this and I get bored quick af

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of suicide

It'd now been over a week since Tommy's arrival. He was up most of the day, and wasn’t just laying in his cot, he seemed to finally begin to get back on a schedule. He had a new normal to get used to. He did like waking up with the comforting walls of Technos cabin around him. Something that he hadn't given a second thought was the state he left Logsteadshire in. He didn't know they thought he was dead. When Tubbo had arrived to visit Tommy, he'd seen nothing but destruction, and a single tall cobblestone tower. They'd ruled it a suicide. And Dream hadn’t said a word. Tubbo was traumatized, but had to act like a leader, at least that's what Quackity told him, so that's what he did. They were in the midst of organizing a proper funeral to pay tribute to his life. Tubbo didn't want it rushed. His best friend deserved more than that. The grief consumed him. He did this. He made the choice to exile Tommy when everyone told him not to. He was the only one who should be held responsible. Honestly Tubbo didn't know how to handle it, so he tried to act for the most part, normal. Which was concerning for everyone. Shouldn't he be showing signs of grief? Which he did, but only when he was alone. He was the president after all. When did it all fall apart? Why was he, a teenage boy, the president of such a divided country? It’s citizens defecting, forming their own nations, going behind his back, not taking what he said seriously. He started to feel it. He wasn't supposed to lead. He never should've been president. This wasn't him. But he had to learn how to cope with what he’d been dealt. No going back now.

Meanwhile, Tommy was recovering nicely, and actually learned how to play poker. To be fair, learned was a strong word. “royal flush” he said, laying his cards down. “1. Not a royal flush, that'd be a straight flush, you're missing an ace 2. One of those clubs is actually a spade” Phil said, who'd folded the previous turn. Tommy looked down at his cards “God damn it” Phil laughed as Techno swooped the coins into his nice pile he'd collected “you kinda suck at this Tommy” he said, stacking them with care. “fuck you Techno” “I forgot how mean you are” he commented “wonder who I learned that from” “okay Tommy-” Phil interrupted “how about you focus on learning the point system instead of insulting Technoblade. Probably be more useful” Tommy rolled his eyes “I know the point system just fine” Phil almost laughed “what's a straight?” Tommy paused “er… 5 in a row of the same suit” he said, with slight confidence creeping its way into his voice “close. That's a straight flush. Straight is 5 in a row of any suit” Phil responded, reshuffling the deck “same thing” ''it's really not” Techno said with a chuckle. The cards were dealt back out, the heat of the fire nearby warming them. It was late afternoon, they hadn't started on dinner, but probably should soon. Instead a plate of small pieces of toasted bread and jerky sat on the edge of the table to snack on. It was in general, a good day. Tommy hadn't had any flashbacks, techno got all the chores done, Phil left the house for a bit to get some more beef, but came back shortly after. The storm had left ages ago and didn't show signs of returning anytime soon. Things were finally getting on track. It didn't seem Tommy had anywhere to go, or plans for leaving, but Phil was perfectly okay with him staying. And Techno had made peace with that as well. It was nice having some new company. Phil was finally getting some closure, mending their broken relationship. They all seemed to decide they’d leave whatever issues had come between them behind. Old news. In the past. Over with. Tommy was done with having a rift between them. Afterall it took more effort to hold a grudge against loved ones than it took to forgive. There was just one issue that still bothered Tommy, and that was Tubbo. Techno had murdered him at the festival. That was less easy to just let go. He tried to reason it, after all, Tubbo was not the only one killed by Techno that day, half the audience was slaughtered. But he'd taken a life from his best friend. Well, former best friend. He tried his best not to think about it. He had to get over it some time. And right now he was just happy not to be constantly at odds with his own family. He finally had people here beside him, for the first time in awhile. He actually felt content. He can’t remember the last time he just felt at ease. His thoughts were interrupted by Techno “Tommy you in or out?” the boy glanced at the hand he’d been dealt. To be honest, it was kinda shitty. But something in him told him to stay anyway.


End file.
